Meet Test Optional

Holding standard procedure to a higher standard.

For the record, it’s not that we think standardized tests are evil. We just think that the measure of your intelligence and potential requires a deeper dive. It’s about life experience, aspiration, work ethic, engagement and all of what makes you who you are. That’s why we believe so strongly in the interview process. Numbers rarely tell the whole story.

In May of 2008, Wake Forest announced that it would no longer require applicants to submit scores in standardized tests such as the SAT or the ACT. The policy went into effect with the class that entered in the Fall of 2009, and we’re very glad we made the move. Ethnic diversity in the undergraduate population increased by 44 percent from Fall 2008, the final year in which scores were required, to the Fall of 2014. Furthermore, there has been no difference in academic achievement at Wake Forest between those who submitted scores and those who declined to do so.

Again, numbers cannot tell the whole story, but they have provided hard evidence to support what our instincts originally told us: Making test scores optional would not compromise the academic quality of our institution, but it would make our university more diverse and intellectually stimulating.

It’s simple. If you think your scores are an accurate representation of your ability, feel free to submit them. If you feel they are not, don’t. You won’t be penalized.

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WE ARE WAKE FOREST

"Explore, explore, explore. Both physically and ideologically. Take that Beyonce class, Youth Culture, or Physics of Music Class, even if it isn’t what you want to do in the future. Check out all the different clubs and campus organizations on campus. Try tap dancing, playing golf, juggling, or doing improv comedy. Think of yourself as an empty shopping cart. Feel free to add or remove whatever items you want, but by the end of your journey, you’ll have all the items you’ll need."